Something More
by knealalalala
Summary: Bored, tempered, and depressed, Cia dreams of getting out of Zanarkand. Her way out is through a strange man who promises to take her to strange lands. After that, it is a series of strange events.
1. Prologue

Life was boring. It was the same thing everyday. Wake up, go to work, go home, eat, go to sleep. It wasn't the life I wanted to live, but I felt like I had no choice. I was stuck in Zanarkand for what felt like forever. And I would do anything to get out. To find a life full of friends and family. I wanted a life of excitement. Not routine and the occasional blitzball game. These were things that had grown boring during my early teen years. I was 19 now and I wanted to start out on the journey of life. Everyone else was having a good time, how come I couldn't? Maybe I wanted something more than anyone else who had ever live here wanted.

Adventure? Yes.


	2. Chapter 1: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

"Another round, Cia?" The bartender offered and I gratefully accepted another glass of liquid poison. I usually wasn't much of a drinker, but lately I had been drowning in my thoughts of the life I didn't have and I wanted a way out. Alcohol was that shining path. So I imbibed the alcohol as quickly as possible, trying to get the most out of the effects. Suria, the bartender and who also happened to have lived near me when my parents were alive, eyed me curiously. "Maybe you should head home soon, this must be your sixth or seventh drink..."

"No. No. I'm...I'm fine?" I was a little... uh? Tipsy? More like drunk off my ass, but I couldn't just straight out admit that. I did have a long walk home and Zanarkand wasn't as safe as it once was. But the alcohol overrode sense and I signaled for another drink.

"Cia, it's time for you to go home. Get some rest and come back another time, 'kay?" I furrowed my brow and started to rebut, but she was already on the other side of the bar and pushing me out the door. "Don't worry about the bill, I'll put it on your tab. Have a safe walk home!" And like that I was out in a breezy summer night, all alone. I started stumbling down the street hoping it was the right way. I kept tipping to my left and my eyes grew heavy. Not really sure where I was, I sought out a bench and went to sit on it. Upon reaching the it I fell and ended up beside the bench. I didn't really care, I was cozy and I could lay my head on the edge of the seat. I squirmed around until I was in the perfect position and fell asleep.

"Lady, get up." I felt a nudging at my shin and I tried to open my eyes. I flung my arm in the direction of the nudging in an attempt to get it to go away.

"Leave me alone." I grunted. I brought my hand up to my face and started to rub my eyes. Suddenly I felt like I was moving, which was not good for my already nauseated stomach. After a few more moments of rubbing my eyes I opened them.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I had been picked up by a strange man in a red coat. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" My arms and legs started flailing about, but that didn't last for long because I felt my stomach pushing up into my throat. What was going on?

"Where do you live?" The man asked me in a naturally cool tone. I still wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew I needed to be put down. Oh, I didn't feel well at all. Why am I not in my apartment? What time is it? Why was I sleeping in the streets? "Miss?"

"Uhm...uh. What? Why do you want to know where I live?" He sighed and I gave up the information without further questioning. "Building H apartment 446." At least this wasn't like every other morning. Something different, something new. That alone made me smile. "What are you doing?" I questioned in a calmer tone. He didn't seem dangerous, but I guess since he had only spoken about three sentences to me I wasn't the best judge.

"Taking you home, obviously." He replied as if he was ordered to do this. I frowned; people with this kind of attitude I usually did not get along with. At all.

"What time is it?" I attempted to keep him talking so the silence of the night wouldn't overwhelm us with awkwardness.

"Three A.M." I concluded that he was an impossible person to talk to. Only after five minutes of "knowing" him. I smiled and tried to make him feel comfortable, maybe then he would open up. The one thing in life that I thought was more beautiful than anything else was the power of communication. Being able to think your thoughts and then have other people listen and understand them is just a mind blowing achievement of our kind. Honestly, I just really like to talk.

"What are you doing walking around at three in the morning?" I inquired further, but he still wouldn't make conversation.

"That's none of your business, is it?" I sighed and looked away. The feeling of nausea was subsiding and his shoulder was digging into my stomach now. I didn't want to say anything because I felt like he would either A) ignore me or B) refuse to put me down. It was probably both cases. So I kept my mouth shut. We were near building K, which was just a few blocks away from my building. We past building J and then I. He approached building H and opened the lobby door. The elevator operator didn't clock in until five, so we were forced to climb the four flights of stairs, me still on his shoulder. He hurried down the hallway. Apartment 410, 420, 430, 440... Finally apartment 446. Abruptly he dropped me down, which stirred my stomach that once again became nauseated. I became dizzy and I could feel whatever what was in my stomach coming back up; there was no stopping it this time. I violently threw up and fell down against my door. Looking up I saw that I had thrown up all over the mystery man. He glared down at me and I covered my face with my hands.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I groggily apologized looking back up at him. His glare was less intense, but I could tell he was not happy.

"You should go to bed." He almost demanded, but I was going to do that either way. I was too tired to be embarrassed. I reached for my bag, but it wasn't there. Frantically, I started reaching for every place it might be. He sighed and shook his head. "You don't have your key, do you?"

"I, uh, must have left it at the, uh, bar?" He groaned and picked me back up. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Not letting you sleep in another odd place tonight." This time his shoulder wasn't digging into my abdomen, but he was carrying me like a princess. I blushed, but I was still a bit intoxicated and that could have been the source.

"Are you taking me to the inn?"

"I don't have money to pay for that, do you?" This guy may have been helping me, but he was irritating! Almost every question I asked he answered with a question! I rolled my eyes and moved on, determined to get something out of him.

"What's your name?" It was a simple enough question, at least I thought.

"What's yours?" He smirked, knowing I was getting annoyed with his unwillingness to answer my questions. I glared at him, but decided to not follow his stubborn example.

"Cia, now yours?" I smirked back at him. I could play this game.

"Auron." He answered with the smirk disappearing off his face. I smiled and continued with my questions.

"Where do _you_ live?" Which is where I assumed he was taking me.

"Building M apartment 127." He stated, I guess giving up his stubborn responses. There were 26 apartment buildings in the city to accommodate all of the citizens. Every building had 6 levels, one for storage and the lobby and the other five for apartments. Every floor had 100 apartments. Do the math for that one.

We walked back past buildings I, J, and K. I saw the bench where I passed out, it was just outside the L building. He hurried to his apartment building and practically ran up the stairs. Apartment 110, 120, and then finally 127. He gently put me down this time and unlocked the door. I followed him into the dark apartment, stumbling from the alcohol and how tired I was. The man I now knew as Auron pointed to the couch and I trudged over to it, plopping down and kicking off my shoes. I might not have been the most polite guest, but I was dead tired and ready to sleep.

"Thank you." I whispered.

Auron said something along the lines of "Well someone has to take care of you.", but I was way to tired to register or think about this. I was asleep within seconds.


	3. Chapter 2: Two Weeks

I woke up with a terrible, pounding headache. I sat up and pushed my hair out of my eyes. I looked around the unfamiliar apartment and panicked. Where was I? I looked down and I was still in my dress from last night. Last night...? There was some aspirin and water set out on the table next to the tattered couch I slept on and thanked whoever was kind enough. I downed the pills and fell back onto my pillow. What the hell did I do last night? I looked around the rather small apartment, eying the kitchen once I heard my rumbling stomach. There wasn't much. There was two closed doors, one I assumed was the bathroom and the other a bedroom. I didn't want to take a chance at guessing which one was which. There was an entertainment sphere, a tiny dining bar, some blankets and clothes in a pile, and a bookshelf full of papers. I slowly got up and walked to the bookshelf, I picked up a sheet of paper and carefully unfolded it. There was a drawing of a great field, bigger and more vast than anything I had imagined, I ran my fingers over the lines, imagining something beyond Zanarkand. I picked up another drawing and saw a tiny island covered with trees and a beach with a docking area. I could see tiny people playing blitz ball and kids running around. My throat went dry with longing and pain. I needed to go there, anywhere. I hated it here.

"You shouldn't be snooping through other people's stuff." I jumped at the voice of someone else. I turned and saw a man, half dressed, with slicked back hair and dark skin. I eyed the man with curiosity. Nope. No recollection of him. Did I meet him at the bar? I blushed because of my embarrassment and took a step back, picture still in hand.

"Uhm, I don't mean to be rude, but I don't know who you are or where I am." I felt awfully awkward admitting my lack of memory and terribly vulnerable with my dress slipping off my body, no shoes, legs stubbly, hair slightly greasy, and my breath was a mixture of alcohol and morning breath. I was pretty gross.

"You were passed out on a street bench, stinking of booze. I picked you up and tried to take you home, but you left your keys at bar. I wasn't going to leave you, so I brought you back here." He took the picture out of my hands and set it back on the bookshelf. He walked past me into the kitchen.

"Wait! Are those pictures real places?" I asked eagerly.

"Breakfast? I don't have much..." He began to open the fridge.

I walked up to him and closed the fridge. He looked at me with a scowl and I looked at him with determination.

"Are those places real?" I repeated. I needed an answer.

"Not to you." He opened the fridge back up and took a step back. What was that supposed to mean?

"What's your name?" I started with a simpler question.

"I answered that last night." He pulled out some eggs and milk. He smelled the milk, made a sour face, and threw it away.

"Please, tell me again." It wasn't quite my nature to be submissive in conversation, but I needed answers, so I tried to appeal to him.

"Auron." He finally answered after a few moments of silence.

"Well Auron, those drawings are great. I've seen places like those in my dreams, but they are never as vivid. They are always fuzzy and they never feel real. This place never feels real." He stopped. He kept going. "Please tell me if those places are real. I feel like I am going crazy. I am always told of other places beyond Zanarkand, but I've walked and walked and walked and never found anything but Zanarkand." I swallowed as he cracked an egg into a pan. "I don't know you and you don't know me, but I need you to understand that I can't stay here any longer. I can't. Please tell me if those places exist. Tell me if there is something beyond Zanarkand."

"I cannot tell you that there is nothing beyond Zanarkand, but I can tell you that there is nothing beyond this Zanarkand." I stared intensely at him.

"Answer one question: Are those places real?" I burned holes in the side of his head until he finally looked at me.

"I've already answered that question." He spoke with such a calm manner, I felt my anger rise with my frustration at his unwillingness to give a straightforward answer. He looked away."You just aren't listening." I sighed heavily with frustration and went on.

"Can I go to those places?" He smiled as he got two plates out. "I don't need breakfast." He was silent. He slid a plate in front of me and I ignored it, still staring at him.

"Can you?" He stopped eating and looked at me. He smirked.

"Yeah, yeah I can." I smiled and ran back over to the bookshelf and started looking at every drawing I could. A mountain, a lake, more cities and villages. I sat cross legged oblivious to my dress and everything around me. It was just my smile and the drawings. I ran my fingers over each one, trying to imagine a different world, a different life. I looked up and saw the strange man smiling down at me. He quickly looked away and started doing something else. I sprawled out on the floor and kept going through all the drawings. Each one was great and opened my mind up to something new. Looking up at the ceiling, I started to day dream about going to all these places. If he could, why couldn't I? That's when I shot up off the floor.

"Auron!" He looked alarmed by my sudden outburst as I started approaching him. "Will you take me to these places? I can pay you! You can have all of my money if you take me to these places!" He chuckled and shook his head. "Please! You don't understand how trapped I feel here all the ti-"

"Actually, I do." The silence between us grew. I hadn't expected that. The strange man looked at me, my face skewed with worry, fighting back tears of anxiousness and his face softened. He even smiled. "In two weeks I am leaving here and I am going back. In two weeks, I will take you."


End file.
